Nest for hens, &amp;c.



Patented lune 3,l |902. D. V. MILLER.

NEST FDR HENS, &c.

(Application man oen s, 1900:. (No Mud el.)

wlNE'ssEs: lNvENmR M35/5m E, W 1S Y BY MYQWW ATTORNEYS UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

DARYVIN V. MILLER, OF WEEDSPORT, NEV YORK.

NEsT FOR HENs, eco.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,494, dated. fune 3, 1902. Application filed October 3,19001 Serial No; 31,813. (No model.)

To lf/ZZ whom, it may con/cern,.-

A Be it known that l, DARWIN V. MLLER, of Weedsport, in the county of Cayuga, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Nests, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention has for its object the production of a nest for hens and other fowls, which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture, and particularly practical in use; and to this end it consists in the constructions and combinations hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of my nest, the parts being shown in their positions assumed before the entrance of the fowl. Fig. .2 is a similar sectional View, the parts being illustrated in their positions yassumed When the fowl is within the nest and two of the closures being indicated by dotted lines in their positions assumed when the fowl is escaping. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of my nest, the top being removed and the underlying closures being shown in their positions indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

My nest comprises, essentially, a hollow frame A, having an inlet-opening, one or more outlet-openings, and closures for said inlet and outlet openings,.and means connecting the closures for controlling the movement of one closure by the movement of another closure. In theillustrated construction of my in vention I arrange an inlet-opening a in one end of the frame A, an outlet-openings in the opposite end of the frame, and a second outlet-opening a2 in the top of said frame. It is obvious, however, that the frame A may be provided with any suitable number of inlet and outlet openings. The openings ca a d2 are generally closed, respectively, by doors or gates d3 a4 a5, which may be formed of solid pieces or of slats and are shown as hinged to the frame A in any desirable manner, the doors or gates d3 a4 being hinged at their upper edges and the door or gate a5 being hinged at one end. Said closure a4 when in its closed or normal position engages the outer face of a stop d, fixed to the base of the frame A.

The means connecting the closures a3 a4 a5 usually consists of an actuating member or bar B and a iiexible connection B. The member or bar B is preferably reciprocally movable in a guide a7 within the rear end of the frame A, is normally inclined downwardly from its rear end, is held by a catch C in its position assumed when the nest is not in use, and its front and rear ends are connected, respectively, to the closures d3 d4 by suitable means for permitting each closure to move independently of the member or bar B and for moving said closures simultaneously with the member or bar B. The connection between the closure a3 and the front end of the member or bar B is here illustrated as a rigid pin l), projecting from the side edge of said closure adjacent to the member or bar B and movablein a slot b', extending or inclining upwardly and rearwardly in said member or bar B. The connection between the closure d4 and the rear end of the member or bar B, as shown, consists of a spring-arm b2, having one end iixed to the closure a4, a rigid pin b3, fixed to the intermediate portion of the member or bar B, and a link b4, having one end connected to the free end of the spring-arm b2 and its opposite end formed with a lengthwise slot b5 for receivingthe pin b3.

The flexible connection B is fixed at its opposite ends to the intermediate portion. of the member or bar B and to the closure a5.

The catch O is hinged at one end to the frame A, is passed through a loop rising from the member or bar B, and is provided with a shoulder c, which engages a cam or shoulder b on the lower end of said loop and holds the member or bar B in its position assumed when the nest is not in use and the closure 0,3 is partly opened,as seen byfull linesin Fig.1 and dotted lines in Fig. 2. Said catch is also provided with an arc-shaped shoulder c', which is engaged by a cam or shoulder a8 on the closure a3 for disengaging the shoulders o b.

When my nest is not in use, the parts are in the positions seen in Fig. l, the closure a3 being free to swing inwardly and the closure a4 being prevented from similar movement by the stop a6. As the fowl enters the frame A she raises the closure a3 independently of the actuating member or bar B until the shoulder c of the catch C is encountered by the cam or shoulder d8 of the closure a3 and the shoulder c is forced out of engagement with the shoulder l1, whereupon the member or bar B, which normallyinclincs downwardly from its rear end, as previously stated, moves forward by gravity independently of the closure a3 and the link b4 until the inner end of the slot b encounters the pin Z2. Said clo- 5 sure continues its upward movement after the disengagement of the shoulders c b and simultaneously forces the contiguous part of the member or'bar B upwardly for a limited distance and holds the catch C out of operative position. As soon as the fowl is within the frameA the closure as automatically assumes its closed or operative position, as seen by full lines in Fig. 2, for preventing the entrance of a second fowl. lThe closure d3 when in its closed posit-ion also prevents the escape of the fowl within the nest through the inletopening @,since the actuating member or bar B is then in such position that outward movement of the closure a3 would compel inward movement of the closure a4 against the stop d6. Upon the escape of the fowl from my nest she raises the closure a4, and owing to the engagement of the front end of the slot b5 with the pin b3 the member or bar B is moved lengthwise and serves to elevate the closure a3 into its position seen by full lines in Fig. l and engage the shoulder b with the shoulder c of the catch C, which prevents return movement of the actuating member or bar B and the closure a3. Upon the continued movement of the closure d4 the spring-arm b2 yields to permit any desired elevation of the closure oj.

The fowl within my nest is always' free to open the closure a4 in the ordinary use of said nest; but when it is desired to make a record of the eggs laid by the respective fowls the closure a4 is prevented from movement by a stop a9, and the closure a5 is then opened by an operator to permit the inspection of the fowl and to effect the desired movement of the closure as for permitting entrance of a second hen or fowl.

The construction and operation of my nest will now be readily understood upon reference to the foregoing description andthe accompanyin g drawings, andit will be apparent to those skilled in the art that more or less change may be made in the construction and arrangement of the component parts thereof without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A nest comprising a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, closures for said openings actuated by the fowl, the closure for the inlet-opening being normally out of its operative position for closing the inletopening when the nest is unoccupied and being movable automatically independently of the other closure for closing said inlet-opening after the entrance of the fowl, and means for holding the closure for the inlet-opening in its normal position, for permitting said closure to move into its operative position to close the inlet-opening, and for moving said closure to its normal position when the other closure is opened by the escaping fowl, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A nest comprising a hollow frame having an inlet-opening, a plurality of outlet-openings and closures for said inlet and outlet openings, and means connecting the closure for the inlet-opening to the closures for the outlet-openings for varying the position of the closure for the inlet-opening as either of the other closures is opened, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. A nest comprising a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, closures for said openings actuated by the fowl, the closure for the inlet-opening being normally out of its operative position for closing the inlet-opening when the nest is unoccupied and being movable automatically independently of the other closure for closing said inlet-opening after the entrance of the fowl, and a reciprocating actuating member connected respectively to the closures for moving the closure for the inletopening to its normal position when the other closure is opened by the escaping fowl, said actuating member being provided with means for holding the closure for the inlet-opening in its normal position and for permitting said closure to move into its operative position to close the inlet-opening, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. A nest comprising a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings in its ends and an outlet-opening in its top, closures for said inlet and outlet openings, and a reciprocating actuating member having its ends connected, respectively, to the closu res for said openings in the ends of the frame, and its intermediate portion connected to the closure for said opening in the top of the frame, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. Anest comprising ahollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, closures for said openings actuated by the fowl, the closure for the inlet-opening being partly open when the nest is unoccupied and being movable auto- Vmatically for closing said inlet-opening after the entrance of the fowl, means connecting the closures for moving the closure for the inletopening to its partly-opened position when the other closure is opened by the escaping fowl, and a catch for holding the closure for the inlet-opening partly open, said catch being forced from its operative position as the closure for the inlet-opening is additionally opened by the fowl when entering the nest, substantially and for the purpose set forth.

6. A nest comprising a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, closures for said openings, an actuating member connected, respectively, to the closures, for varying the position of the closures as the other closure is opened, and a catch for holding the actuating IOO IIO

member in its adjusted position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. A nest comprising a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, closures for said openings, a reciprocating actuating member having its ends connected, respectively, to the closures, for opening one of the closures as the other closure is opened, said actuating member being movable independently of one of the closures, and a catch for holding the actuating member in its adjusted position, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. Anest comprising a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, closures for said openings, a reciprocating actuating member having one end connected to the closure for the inlet-opening, and a connection between the closure for the outlet-opening and the other end of the actuating member, said connection being provided with means forpermitting the actuating member to move independently of the connection and for causing said member to move simultaneously with said connection, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. Anest comprising a hollowr frame having inlet and outlet openings, closures for sa d openings, a reciprocating actuating member having one end connected to the closure for the inlet-openin g and movable independently of said closure for a limited distance and also movable simultaneously with said closure, and a connection between the closure for the outlet-opening and the other end of the actuating member, said connection being provided with means for permitting the actuating member to move independently of the connection and for causing said member to move simultaneously with said connection,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

lO. In a nest, the combination of a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, a closure for said inlet-opening, an actuating member for the closure, and a catch for holding the actuating member in its adjusted position, said catch being forced from its operative'position by the closure, substantially as and for the purpose described.

11. In a nest, the combination of a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, a closure for said inlet-opening having a cam or shoulder, an actuating member movable independently of the closure and then movable simultaneously with the closure, and a catch for holding the actuating member :in its adjusted position, said catch having a shoulder movable into engagement with the cam or shoulder of the closure for forcing said catch from its operative position, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

l2. In a nest, the combination of a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, a closure for the inlet-opening having a pin l) and a cam or shoulder, a reciprocating actuating member having an inclined slot for receiving the pin b, a catch for holding the actuating member in its adjusted position, said catch having a shoulder movable into engagement with the cam or shoulder of the closure for forcing said catch from its operative position, and a closure for the outletopening connected to the actuating member for actuating the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

13. A nest comprising a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, a closure for said outlet-opening, an actuating member, and a link having one end yieldingly connected to said closure and its opposite end connected to the actuating member, said actuatingmemberbeing movableindependently of the link and being movable with said link, substantially as and for the purpose described. 14. In a nest, the combination of a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings, a closure for the outlet-opening, an actuating member having a pin b3, a spring-arm having one end fixed to the closure, a link having one end connected to the spring-arm and its other end formed with a lengthwise slot for receiving the pin Z13, and a closure for the inlet-opening connected to the actuating meniber, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

15. In a nest, the combination of a hollow frame having inlet and outlet openings in its ends, said frame being provided with a stop, closures for said openings hinged at their upper ends, the closure for the inlet-opening being normally partly open, and the closure for the outlet-opening being normally prevented from inward movement bythe stop, and a reciprocating actuating member connected to the closures, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, this `24th day of April, 1900.

DARWIN V. MILLER.

W itnesses S. Davis, L. M. LANG.

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